Below we have archived some of Luke's live reviews.

(For news of specific, up-coming gigs, return to the home-page and click on the myspace link)

The Fly magazine, live review, October 2007

A Truck Festival favourite, Luke Smith has been making wonderfully honest and charmingly lo-fi music for years. He's an incredible pianist, a maestro on guitar and he sings with poetic poignancy and tender wit about human insecurities and the banalities of everyday life. More akin to a musical John Betjeman than to Kate Nash, tonight his talent is undeniable and irresistible. One of 2007's most touching, charming gigs.

Plan B magazine's J Capeling wrote this for 2007's summer festival guide.

Luke Smith

at Oxforshire's sell-out indie festival TRUCK.

Champion of the socially baffled, Luke is scarcely spotted outside of his hometown of Canterbury; for him to travel this far is a rare treat, reserved for Truck.

Simultaneously chirpy yet glum, naïve yet prim beyond his years - as quintessentially English as a nice cup of tea, Victoria sponge and a spot of Countdown. And you'd guess that would be his idea of a good time.

Anti-Folk's answer to Eric Idle, by jingo.

From bbc.co.uk/collective's Truck festival pick, 2006.

Luke Smith

Long regarded as "the beating heart of Truck", the bearded, lo-fi anti-folk troubadour from Canterbury wears his heart unashamedly on his sleeve. The man who claims he's as much a fan of John Betjeman as Jonathan Richman pulls few emotional punches with songs such as I'm Intense, I Fear Change and I Need So Much To Be Loved. Altogether now - ahhh.

From Sweeping The Nation's, Truck Festival special.

A Friendly Chat With... P-C Rae, Truck Festival organiser

Yes, this weekend we're off to sunny (we'd hope) Steventon for Truck Nine, the festival described as indie's own garden fete, eclectic as you like and fully independent, but first we grabbed a few words about this most home-grown of festivals with Truck Records/Festival's supremo...

Name three standout Truck performances of the last couple of years.

The Black Madonnas two years ago has been a personal favorite. They were the only band I got to watch all of their set, over the entire weekend. Me and the Schla La Las had a good mosh pit. KTB did a duet with Chris T-T a couple of years back too. That was a great moment on the main stage on the Sunday evening. Best of all though was when Luke Smith did his alternative national anthem a couple of years back. Not a dry eye in the house.

Nightshift magazine's review of

Luke Smith

Live at Oxford's QI Bar 17/08/06

Ssshhhh...

It's the sound of the crowd through a lot of Luke Smith's set tonight. This is the problem with the QI Bar as a venue. It's a nice little bar with its comfy seats and drinks in over-sized test tubes but it doesn't lend itself to being a good gig environment. Tonight's show is in a very small side room with no door just off the main bar. This presents a couple of problems, there's no way all the people who want to see the show can get in (all of 20 lucky people do) and the noise from the main bar drowns out any quieter moments of Luke's set. Most people probably won't feel in too much of a position to complain, admission fees having stopped being taken when it became impossible. The situation could have been worse though, as Luke planned an acoustic set tonight, before Dave the drummer became available again at the last minute.

An upside of the relaxed atmosphere is that we get just over an hour of Luke playing selections from his three albums. Luke and his songs are the epitome of reserved Englishness, the antidote to overblown rock n roll and he's a keen observer of the minutiae of daily life and the worries it brings. All the old favourites are played and while 'Luke's National Anthem' provides a high point, songs like 'You'll Never Stop People Being Gits' prove he's still got it.

By Russell Barker

BBC Oxford's 2002 review of

Luke Smith live at the Zodiac, Oxford

Tonight's star turn is Luke Smith, ably assisted by his dad, Dave, on drums. Judging by the lyrical content of his songs, Luke is one of life's less fortunate people. Going on the talent he shows, he's far from unfortunate

Despite looking like a latter day Chas and Dave, the keyboard playing is in the vein of Ben Folds and the vocals are reminiscent of Ian Dury's cheeky chappy wordsmith. It's a combination that works suprisingly well.

The excellent rapport with the small crowd (handing out badges, muso jokes, self-deprecating humour) brings a great warmth to a performance which rounds the night off wonderfully.

BBC Oxford's 2001 review of

Luke Smith live at the Cellar bar, Oxford

Luke Smith sings at the piano, with his Dad on drums.

As if this weren't reason enough to love him, he tinkles out an hour of wry, funny, sincere songs about his quiet Canterbury life, all infused with a nervous charm.

Musically it's not complex, with echoes of music hall singalongs and simple 70's pop, but it's performed with more than enough jazzy dexterity and aplomb.

It's hard to describe what makes Luke such a great prospect.

Phrases like "catchy ditties", "homely honesty" and "subtle drum accompaniment" could be employed, but they call up such horrors as Chas 'n' Dave, or Richard Stillgoe.

I suppose that Luke is a little like that, but imagine a parallel universe where Snooker Loopy is an elegant and moving anthem.

Can't? You'd best go to the next Luke Smith gig, then.